Beautiful Bermuda – 6 Places to Visit in 3 Days!

“You can go to heaven if you want to. I’d rather stay in Bermuda.” – Mark Twain

I only had four nights on this beautiful island and it has left me longing to return. Though next time I would visit during peak season (May to October). There were gale warnings the first two days that I arrived during March!! However, I still managed to fit quite a lot in and enjoyed sunny periods throughout the trip too!

The following sections are included in this post (click to navigate directly to the section):

• Getting to Bermuda
• Beaches
• Front Street Area
• Crystal Cave
• Gibb’s Hill Lighthouse
• Railway Trail
• Royal Naval Dockyard
• Fairmont Southampton Hotel

GETTING TO BERMUDA: Treat Yourself!

The Beast From the East snowstorm was still in full force when I left Dublin. This storm caused quite a turbulent start to my trip! It was difficult to even find transport to the airport. When I finally did arrive at the airport, I was informed that my flight was delayed a couple of hours. With all of this time to kill, I decided to treat myself to the airport lounge. Likewise, I would recommend this to anyone who has a few hours to kill at the airport! To sum up, for €25 (booking online) or €29 (purchasing at the airport) per person, you have access to complimentary drinks, snacks, newspapers, magazines, and a comfortable sitting area to recharge your electronics!

Bermuda Basics

After another delay at my stopover in NYC, I finally made it to Bermuda. Straightaway, the instant beauty of the island was evident! I had never before seen such beautiful clear blue water while landing at an airport! Rather than taking a taxi, I took the cheaper option and caught a shuttle bus to my hotel from the airport. Though I had not pre-booked the bus, I was able to hop on one straight away from right outside the main entrance to the airport. This was an enjoyable scenic drive to my hotel too!

Cost

Even visiting during the off-season, be prepared for an expensive trip. You are not likely to find accommodation for under $100 a night (with some hotels costing much more than this). There will also be other expenses on top of this cost (taxes, gratuity costs, etc.). For example, the hotel I stayed in cost $350 a night! Furthermore, due to the majority of food and goods imported to the island, there can be a high cost of food in Bermuda.

Getting Around the Island

Presently rental cars are not allowed in Bermuda. Therefore, you are likely to require taxis or buses to explore the island. Overall, the roads were quite tight and did not have many footpaths. This was the only real issue for me as a tourist in Bermuda. When I am on holiday, I love to wander on foot to explore. However, it was difficult to wander on the small roads with no footpaths in Bermuda. One alternative to avoid roads is to walk/jog the Bermuda Railway Trail (more to follow on this later!). However, it can be quiet to walk on your own!

Unless you are willing to pay for a taxi everywhere, I recommend becoming familiar with the bus service. There are only eleven bus routes so they are easy to familiarize yourself with. I only used two different buses while visiting the island. Nevertheless, these bus routes were sufficient in getting me from one side of the island to the other. There is also a ferry service that will drop you at various locations around the island. However, this schedule only runs during the peak season months. Additionally, see the above video for tips on getting around the island.

1. BEACHES

Surprisingly, the hotel I stayed in has a private beach at the foot of the entrance road to the hotel! A hotel shuttle bus will drop/pick you up from the beach. Moreover, this beach connects to the beautiful Horseshoe Bay Cove beach known for its pink-like sandy beach. Also, Mermaid Beach, Marley Beach, Surf Side Beach, and Elbow Beach all lie along the same coastline here. Undoubtedly, there are plenty of beach options in this area!

2. FRONT STREET AREA

Before my trip, I had seen many pictures of the pretty and colorful Front Street online! Therefore, I couldn’t wait for a trip to see it for myself. Furthermore, this colorful street is found along Hamilton Harbor and is the main shopping area and activity hub on the island. Indeed, it is a pretty area and is enjoyable for wandering. You can walk along the Harbor with your ice cream/coffee with many side streets to stroll up and down along the way too. Similarly, these streets have a good mixture of shops, cafes, ice cream parlors, dining, and bars.

Also, some of the buildings in this area have lovely outdoor and balcony seating. Here, you can relax and watch the world go by at the Harbor. The Bermuda Parliament, the Cabinet Building, and the War Memorial (for Bermuda’s war veterans who served the country during the first and second World Wars) are close by here too.

As previously mentioned, there is a Bermuda ferry service. Indeed, a terminal for this ferry is close by Front street. Thus it can drop you to the Dockyard (see below) and various other locations around the island from here. During the summer, there is a street festival each week here (Harbor Nights).

3. CRYSTAL CAVE

Whenever I googled what to do in Bermuda I was drawn to the photos of these caves! And so (even with my claustrophobia!), I decided to visit….it did not disappoint! When I first arrived, I was still dubious if I would even go through with the visit. However, the ticket desk attendant and the tour guide were very helpful. They assured me that I would never be too far from the entrance to the cave. Everyone is free to leave at any stage of the tour if so required. This put me at ease.

There was a second smaller cave (Fantasy Cave). I had not booked this cave for fear that it may be too tight for me. However, now I believe that I would have been okay for the second tour too.

Moreover, our tour guide was fantastic and full of interesting facts, he was a superb storyteller! Undoubtedly, as the name suggests, the cave appeared crystal-like and contained a multitude of stalactites and stalagmites. The cave is approximately 500 m long and 62 m deep with the lower 19-20 m of the cave being below the water level. Surprisingly, the caves are said to have inspired many different people – from Mark Twain to the creators of Fraggle Rock!

You can check out the Crystal Cave website for more information on these caves.

4. GIBB’S HILL LIGHTHOUSE

Gibb’s Hill Lighthouse was just a short walk from my hotel – not too far from Horseshoe Bay Cove. The lighthouse was built in 1844. It is the taller of the two lighthouses found in Bermuda. It stands at 245 feet with 185 steps to the top of the lighthouse.

There are spectacular views across the island from the top of the lighthouse. Undoubtedly, I would highly recommend it as a must-see for your trip! I conquered another fear here as I was not expecting to be brave enough to walk outside onto the ledge at the top of the lighthouse. The views were so amazing that I couldn’t resist stepping outside to admire the scenery.

5. RAILWAY TRAIL

As mentioned earlier, the Railway Trail is another way of exploring the island. It’s perfect for anyone intending to walk and jog while on their trip. I only stumbled upon this trail by accident after I left Gibbs Lighthouse. The railway stretches from one side of the island to the other and contains many points of exit/entry along the way.

However, I was slightly dubious of walking it on my own as it was quiet along the trail. Thus, I only walked it for around 20 minutes. It was only afterward when I googled the trail, that I saw how popular it is. There were beautiful pictures of the pretty scenery that I had missed out on by not walking more of it. I regret that I hadn’t planned better and walked some more of the trail – especially the sections by the ocean.

6. ROYAL NAVAL DOCKYARD

The Royal Naval Dockyard was quite a journey from where I was staying. However, the bus trip over to the Dockyard was cheap and provided lovely views of the island along the way. The Dockyard is the most visited site in Bermuda and is the island’s major cruise port. It is steeped in history, dating back to when the British Royal Navy established the Dockyard (after defeat in the American War of Independence). It continued to be a naval base until it officially closed in 1995.

During the summer, I can imagine a great buzz around the Dockyard. However, off-season, it was quiet. Many businesses were not open the day that I visited. Bermuda National Museum, which explores the maritime and island history of Bermuda, is found here. Also, there’s a lot of art and crafts at the Dockyard. For example, Bermuda Craft Market, Bermuda Arts Center, Jon Faulkner Gallery (ceramic and pottery), and Bermuda Dockyard Glass (glassworks) are all found here. The area also features watersports (jet ski tours, para-sailing, mini-golf, snorkel tours, and private boat charters), cafes, restaurants, and retail.

I was drawn to the impressive Clocktower Mall building. Built in the 1850s as a warehouse for the British Navy, it is now a Mall. The Mall was open however, I only met a few customers inside of it (which was great in some ways as I had it all to myself!).

FAIRMONT SOUTHAMPTION HOTEL

Like many of the hotels in Bermuda, Fairmont Southampton is on the pricey side. As mentioned, be prepared for extra fees that may automatically be added to room fees (tax/tourism fees, nightly resort fees, nightly gratuity fees, etc.). Access to the outdoor hot tubs (which overlook Bermuda’s South Shore) and the indoor pool is through the Willow Stream Spa. These can also be at an extra cost.

There are many dining venues on the grounds of this hotel – they do cater to different price ranges. We ate in the Boundary Sports Bar and Grille on one of our evenings; the food was great and reasonably priced.

As well as the spa and dining facilities, there is a golf course, tennis grounds, and the hotel even has a private beach. The beach is right next to the beautiful Horseshoe Bay Cove beach. Diving excursions are available from here too. The scenery from the hotel is spectacular; see below for some of the ocean views and the private beach.

Have you visited Bermuda? Would you like to return? Any further tips than what I have included here? Please comment below!

Thanks for reading,

Anita x